1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to a portable electronic device having a solar cell module.
2. Description of Related Art
As electronic technology develops, portable electronic device such as mobile phones and laptops are commonly used. A conventional portable electronic device generally includes a main body and a rechargeable battery. The rechargeable battery supply electric energy to the main body for usage. The rechargeable batteries can be charged many times by a charger using an alternating current power source. Conventional rechargeable batteries include nickel-cadmium (Ni—Cd) batteries, nickel-hydrogen (Ni—H) batteries, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, etc. The rechargeable batteries can be discharged then recharged thousands of times.
In general, a kind of mobile phone can only use a particular kind of rechargeable battery and the rechargeable battery can be charged only with a matched charger. In other words, the rechargeable battery of the mobile phone cannot be charged without the corresponding charger. Therefore, a situation often arises where the battery cannot be recharged in a given time and may lead to inconveniences for the users. This problem has called for a new kind of battery that doesn't need a particular charger.
At present, solar cells are used to supply the electrical energy to the portable electronic devices. The solar cell can generate electric energy through photoelectric conversion (see “Grown Junction GaAs Solar Cell”, Shen, C. C.; Pearson, G. L.; Proceedings of the IEEE, Volume 64, Issue 3, March 1976, Pages: 384-385). The solar cell has a light-absorbing surface for absorbing light. When sunlight or other ambient light irradiates the light-absorbing surface, the solar cell converts the absorbed light into electric energy. The electric energy is then stored in the solar cell. However, when the light-absorbing surface is exposed to an external environment, abrasion may occur thereon and dust may contaminate the light-absorbing surface. Additionally, the light-absorbing surface generally has a black color, which may influence external appearance of the portable electronic device.
What is needed, therefore, is a portable electronic device having a solar cell module with a fine appearance and preventing from abrasion.